Araghchi: Three European Countries Sought to Blackmail Iran

WANA (Sep 27) – Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on Friday night that three European countries, along with the United States, attempted to pressure and “blackmail” Iran through fear and escalation in recent weeks.

Speaking in a televised interview from New York, Araghchi outlined Iran’s diplomatic efforts over the past week to prevent the activation of the snapback mechanism. “We engaged in extensive diplomatic activities, much of which was part of our regular diplomacy, but this year we faced a special issue — the attempt by three European countries and the United States to trigger the snapback mechanism,” he explained.

Araghchi accused the Western powers of deliberately inflating the threat of snapback sanctions to frighten the Iranian people and force concessions from Tehran. “I do not deny that snapback would cause harm, particularly in the economic sphere, but its impact is far less than what they portray. They tried to turn it into a monster to terrify our nation and compel our government to surrender,” he said.

Araghchi at the UN Security Council session. Social media /WANA News Agency

According to the foreign minister, Iran has pursued political and legal avenues against such efforts for years, in close coordination with Russia and China. He noted that in recent weeks consultations had intensified, including joint letters with Moscow and Beijing to the UN Secretary-General and Security Council members.

“In the past few days, we conducted intensive diplomatic engagements,” Araghchi said. “We even explored possible channels with the three European states and indirectly with the Americans to see if a fair and balanced solution could be found to avoid unnecessary escalation. We tabled constructive proposals that introduced just and balanced solutions, but unfortunately, all of them were rejected. Some Europeans appeared interested, but they could not persuade the Americans.”

Araghchi stressed that Iran resisted all demands, which he described as excessive and unreasonable. “They expected Iran to hand over all its nuclear material in exchange for only a three- or six-month suspension of snapback. That was the height of greed, irrationality, and even insult. We firmly rejected these humiliating demands,” he declared.

Araghchi Meets E3 Foreign Ministers and EU Chief in New York. Social media / WANA News Agency

The Iranian foreign minister further said that there is no consensus within the UN Security Council on activating the snapback mechanism. “Two of the five permanent members oppose it and consider it unlawful and lacking legal basis. Algeria and Pakistan, both non-permanent members, have also joined this position. Clearly, there is no consensus in the Council. This is a legal challenge for the UN itself,” Araghchi argued, adding that “from our perspective, the mechanism has not been activated, and the UN Secretary-General should not consider its consequences.”